Sheep run over in field in Bidford-on-Avon

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Eighteen sheep have been killed in the same field in Bidford-upon-Avon

Eighteen sheep were deliberately run over in a field and killed.

Three sheep were found dead in a field at Barton Crossroads in Honeybourne Road, in Bidford-on-Avon on 6 March, Warwickshire Police said.

On Thursday, a further eight ewes were found dead, with another seven seriously injured and had to be euthanised by a vet, it added.

The police force said the animals' owner was "understandably shaken and upset".

Rural crime officer Carol Cotterill said it was a "very distressing incident".

"Unfortunately we do believe this to be a deliberate act and we are treating these offences very seriously," she said.

"We are currently working with the RSPCA to identify the circumstances of the incident."

George Bostock, Warwickshire county adviser for the National Farmers Union (NFU), said: "This case is abhorrent and we would urge anyone with information to get in touch with the police.

"Those farmers who have been affected will be devastated and the wider farming community is extremely concerned at the scale of rural crimes more broadly.

"The NFU is calling on local farmers to be the eyes and ears of the police and report anything suspicious."

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